Lucky 13

Right now, I am enjoying a nice cup of tomato and rice soup from “Au Bon Pain”. And you thought people in New York didn't eat exotic lunches!!

Au Bon Pain is in our building, and all I have to do is take the elevator to the lobby, turn left, and “Voila!” I am there. I don’t have to exit into the shivering winter cold, I don’t have to step out into the taxi-fumed atmosphere…just walk from our lobby into their store.

As I got on the elevator for my ride back up to the 27th floor where our offices are located, all the while holding my precious tomato nectar close so as not to spill it on other passengers, I noticed the numbers. Or rather, I noticed the lack of one. I guess I had noticed it before, but had really paid no attention.

There is no floor 13 in our building. None. Which means that my office is really on the 26th floor, though the elevator shows it to be the 27th. The button panel goes from 12 to 14. No 13. I guess there really are a lot of superstitious people out there who think the number 13 is unlucky. I guess they wouldn't want to work on the 13th floor. Frankly, I'm not sure I would either.

Coming back to my office, I had the number 13 on my mind, as I settled in for a nice quiet cup of hot soup. “Just eat my soup and read the Wall Street Journal On-Line” I was thinking to myself. And what should the headline be?

You guessed it. The number 13. The stimulus package that is about to become law will provide most of us law abiding, tax paying citizens a whopping additional $13 per week for spending in order to stimulate the economy. There’s that number 13 again. I think I feel myself shiver.

I wonder what I will spend my $13 on? Let’s see…in New York, I could buy 1 more pack of cigarettes per week….if I were a smoker, which I am not. So I won’t be spending it there. Hmm…I can buy one more bottle of wine per week. Maybe that will help the California wine industry. Or I can buy an additional 12-pack of lite beer per week. After all, Milwaukee could probably use the money. But if I use my $13 to buy wine, or a twelve pack of beer a week, I might need even MORE money to deal with the consequences of those purchases. I know, I can buy a book at Barnes and Noble, but it will have to be paperback. The newest books are all hardback and cost more than $13.

Maybe I can rent two movies from Blockbuster each week with my $13, as long as they are older movies. If it is a new movie, I can only rent one, but maybe have enough money left over to buy a candy bar to eat while I watch it. I could always buy a pack of socks from WalMart, but I won't have enough money to buy underwear to go with them. Or I can put 7 gallons of gas in my car.

One thing I CAN’T do with my $13, however, is get a haircut. It costs me $15.

Boy, am I ready to go out and stimulate our economy with my $13. Aren't you? This must be our lucky day.

WJLaneSR